We’ve all got one. That pile of books waiting to be read, some of them surely doomed to linger for years as other more enticing novels are selected instead. What’s in yours?
My current pile is somewhat small, as I’ve just culled it and also started to use my eReader more, but it currently is:
- The Gunslinger by Stephen King
- A few Wheel of Time books
- Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
- The Anatomy of a Story by John Truby
Definitely read The Anatomy of Story if you’re a writer/interested in writing as a craft. It is by far the best guide on plot structure I have ever read and even though it focuses mainly on Hollywood plots it can be adapted to any story form. I use it as a starting point for everything I write, highly recommend it!
Mine’s not so much a pile so much as at least half of my bookcase. And it’s a little bit of everything!
There is a lot I should probably read one day but didn’t feel like it yet:
S. King’s stuff (haven’t read anything by him yet), Wheel of Time, Brandon’s Stormlight Archive, some of the Paolini’s newer books (after Inheritance cycle), more of Laundry Files by Stross, more of Pratchett’s Disc World (so much more I haven’t read yet).
Though presently, something by Asimov might be my next pick
For Asimov, I’d recommend starting with his short story Nightfall. It’s magnificent.
Foundation is also incredible.
Fisher’s Capitalist Realism! I decided to start reading it today, though.
